You can’t dive in when you are defending a player, you have to keep them in front of you and wait for them to make a mistake. If you aren’t a disciplined defender, you are more likely to get beat by your opponent.

2. Focus

The ability to stay focused and refocus is something that must be practiced. You must always be paying attention to the space around you, making sure you are tuned into the game even when you don’t have the ball.

You have to learn to keep your head up and on a swivel at all times, enabling you to see where your teammates are and where the opposition is as well.

3. Repetition

Repeatedly working on things you do well and things you don’t. Repetition helps you grow so comfortable that it almost becomes second nature.

Play long balls until you don’t miss your target, practice defending set plays until the offense stops scoring. Even practicing little things on your own such as footwork and heading will go a long way towards helping you succeed on the field.

Make sure these are good reps with proper form because you don’t want bad reps to become a habit.

4. Intensity

You have to go 100% into all of your tackles because you are the last line of defense before your keeper.

When you hesitate going into a tackle and don’t run through the ball or opponent, you are more likely to get injured. In order to make sure you will have the same intensity at the end of the game as you do at the beginning, you have to bring that intensity into every practice as well.

5. Communication

Constantly communicating and organizing during practice will help immensely because it will feel much more natural during a game.

Give teammates good information and help organize defensively during any drill.

Summary

These five training habits will help you become a more successful defender. Teams thrive when they have a solid backline.

Show your team they can rely on you by displaying these habits in training and games, and you can bet that your team will find success.